(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- The only hope for dogs suffering from a common form of canine cancer used to be a pricey cancer drug for people.

But Fido finally has a cancer drug to call his own.

Just approved by the FDA this month, a canine cancer therapy named Palladia is being distributed to veterinary cancer specialists first and will be available soon through the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

"In the veterinary world, it's a very exciting development," said Dr. Laura Garrett, a UI veterinary oncologist. "It's going to greatly prolong dogs' lives with increased comfort."

Another benefit of this new drug: It's going to remove some of the cost barrier that stands between many cancer-stricken dogs and treatment, Garrett said.

The human cancer drug Gleevec approved only for people but used on an extra-label basis for dogs is nice for those dogs whose owners can afford it. But at $1,000-$2,000 a month, many pet owners can't, Garrett said.

"It's crazy expensive," she added.

Palladia, made by Pfizer Animal Health, comes in the form of a pill that dog owners can administer themselves at home, and the cost is expected to be more in line with veterinary prescription treatments, Garrett said.

The UI's veterinary program will receive free samples of Palladia through the end of the year, she said. For dogs receiving the free medication, there will be only a small dispensing fee, plus charges for whatever veterinary or lab services the dog requires, Garrett said.

"It's such an exciting opportunity," she added. "I've been involved in so many clinical trials for new and exciting drugs, but once it gets approved for people, it becomes too expensive for our pet population. This is the first time ever that a drug has been developed for the veterinary market as an anti-cancer treatment." Rich Hooser, a UI veterinary medicine pharmacist, said his dog, TJ, an 8-year-old vizsla, went through surgery and chemotherapy for mast cell tumors in the past year and could have been spared a lot of pain if this new treatment had been around.

"The surgery, of course, was thousands, and the poor little guy was in pain for weeks," he said.

According to Pfizer, there are 1.2 million new cases of canine cancer in the U.S. every year, and mast cell tumors are the second-most common form of tumors in dogs.

The tumors often appear as visible lumps on the dog's skin and can spread to other areas of the dog's body, including lymph nodes, if they remain untreated.

Palladia is a class of drug called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It works by cutting off blood supply to the tumor and killing the tumor cells, according to the FDA.

In a clinical trial of Palladia, 60 percent of the dogs had tumors shrink, disappear or stop growing, the drug maker said.

Garrett warns that Palladia isn't a cure-all for all dogs with cancer, and it does come with some side effects the most common of which are diarrhea, decreased appetite, lethargy and vomiting.

If you detect a lump on your dog, it's important to start with a trip to your veterinarian, Garrett said, because not all lumps and bumps on dogs are mast cell tumors.

"All middle-age to older dogs get fat tumors, lipomas, that are non-cancerous. You cannot tell just by looking at them or feeling them," she added.

Garrett also said some mast cell tumors can be treated with surgery alone, but Palladia offers hope for those dogs with tumors that appear malignant with a potential for cancer spread and for those dogs in which cancer has already spread.

One of the first dogs in line for Palladia at the UI will be a 10-year-old terrier mix named Little Dog, a one-time stray adopted by Susan Norton of Robinson, Ind., after he turned up at her house.

Little Dog has been through three kinds of chemotherapy and two kinds of steroids, but the mast cell tumor on his chest is still there, Norton said.

Her vet at the UI started Little Dog on Gleevec two weeks ago, and it's helped some, she said. But even buying it at a huge discount from India, the drug is costing $170 a month.

Norton said she hopes Palladia will make her beloved Little Dog more comfortable and maybe even keep him around a bit longer.

"He's got a big personality," she said.

"You almost think he can read your thoughts sometimes."

Copyright (c) 2009, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.